B&A Ltd., a prominent player in the tea industry, has entered the retail segment with the launch of its ‘Gatoonga’ brand of black tea. This marks the company’s first foray into retail in its over-100-year history. The brand was introduced in Assam, with plans to gradually expand across India.
Managing Director Somnath Chatterjee announced the launch, stating, “The company’s retail foray has begun with the ‘Gatoonga’ brand by tapping the Assam market, and it will gradually expand across India based on a demand-driven growth strategy.”
Previously focused on tea manufacturing, processing, packaging, tourism, and broking, B&A Ltd. has now added retail branding as its fifth vertical. Deputy Managing Director Dhruba Jyoti Dowerah highlighted this diversification, noting that the company aims for pan-India growth with an investment plan of Rs 50 crore over the next seven years.
B&A Ltd., the flagship company of the Rs. 300 crore Barooahs & Associates Group, traces its origins to Barasali Tea Company Ltd., founded in 1915. The company operates 11 tea estates in upper Assam and produced 5.5 million kg of black tea last year.
As part of its growth strategy, B&A Ltd. recently acquired the Moheema tea estate in Golaghat district, the company’s first acquisition in over six decades. “For the first time in sixty years, the B&A Group has prepared a roadmap for a pan-India growth strategy with new acquisitions and diversification into the branded retail tea market,” Chatterjee added.
This significant move underscores B&A Ltd.’s commitment to expanding its footprint in the Indian tea market and leveraging its extensive experience in the industry.